FEW DETAILS ON SHOOTING NEAR MSU CAMPUS
The Murray Police Department responded yesterday morning to the 1500 block of Chestnut Street in reference to a report of shots fired. Afterwards, an email to faculty, staff, and students from MSU President Dr. Bob Jackson said the shooting incident was at a property adjacent to campus and a shelter in place message was sent immediately thereafter. The email said multiple victims were transported to the local hospital and that at this time, they did not believe that the individuals were students or had any affiliation with Murray State University and there was no ongoing threat to the Murray State campus. The Murray Police Department is actively investigating the shooting and has provided no further details.
TORNADO SIREN TEST RESCHEDULED
The tornado siren test that was to be conducted yesterday morning was cancelled at the last minute due to law enforcement activity concerning the shooting near the Murray State campus. An abbreviated test will be conducted at 10 this morning. The tornado sirens in Murray and Calloway County will be activated momentarily to ensure their functionality. The first activation will be the wavering alert tone and it will be followed shortly after by the steady all clear tone.
SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TODAY
Be prepared for some potentially hazardous weather. Severe thunderstorms will be possible, primarily later this afternoon and into the first half of tonight. The area most likely to experience severe weather will be from southeast Missouri into far western Kentucky. The chance for severe weather diminishes to the north and east including the Evansville area. Large hail and damaging winds are most likely. A brief tornado or two cannot be ruled out. Thunderstorms in the early afternoon may produce some hail.
CCHD REPORTS 2 NEW COVID CASES
The Calloway County Health Department reported 2 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. That brings the total number of county cases during the pandemic to 3,392. Of that total, 3,328 have recovered, 15 are isolated at home, none are hospitalized, and there have been 49 deaths. The Calloway County Health Department’s next Regional Vaccination event is being held today at the CFSB Center. You must have a previously confirmed, scheduled appointment in order to be vaccinated today. You can sign up for future vaccination events at callowayhealth.org.
CALLOWAY INCIDENCE RATE HOLDS STEADY
Calloway County’s Incidence Rate per 100,000 on Tuesday was 5.5%, which was the same as Monday’s rate. Lyon County’s state leading rate increased again yesterday to 788.2% due mostly to over 500 active cases at Kentucky State Penitentiary. Lyon County’s rate is over 18 times times higher than second place Knox County’s rate of 43.6%.
KENTUCKY REPORTS 819 NEW COVID CASES
At Tuesday’s COVID-19 update for Kentucky, 819 new cases and 24 deaths were reported, raising the total to 5,029 Kentuckians who are listed as covid deaths. As of Tuesday, there have been over 4.7 million coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky with a positivity rate of 3.87%, which is lower than last Tuesday’s rate of 3.94%. There are 464 Kentuckians hospitalized which is 87 less than last Tuesday, including 114 in ICU, which is 33 less than one week ago. At least 48,802 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
MSU RECOGNIZED AS MILITARY FRIENDLY SCHOOL
Military Friendly has awarded Murray State University with the 2021-2022 Military Friendly School designation. Institutions earning the designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Over 1,200 schools participated in the survey with 747 earning the designation. The list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at militaryfriendly.com. Murray State offers resources for veterans such as personalized advising, career planning and placement, flexible online and weekend schedules for those who serve in active duty, disability services, free counseling services, free limited student health services, and a psychological center.
NTSB RELEASES PRELIMINARY REPORT ON FATAL PLANE CRASH
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its Aviation Accident Preliminary Report on last month’s plane crash in Graves County that claimed the life of the pilot, Dr Henry Babenco. The report says on February 22 just before 6 pm, the plane was ‘substantially damaged’ in an accident near Mayfield. The report also states several witnesses saw the airplane conducting ‘touch-and-go’ landings on runway 1 at the Mayfield Graves County Airport. Another witness said they saw the airplane climbing, and as the plane went higher, the tail dropped and the plane went into a backflip causing a nose first dive towards the ground where it hit about 1,000 feet north of the airport in an open field. The report says crews examined the airplane’s engine and saw no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.
GRAVES COUNTY MAN SENTENCED ON CHILD PORN CHARGES
32-year-old Roman Trujillo of Water Valley was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison on 20 counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor and seven counts of possessing or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor. Trujillo pleaded guilty to the charges in December as part of a plea deal. Trujillo was arrested in July after the Graves County Sheriff’s Office learned he had been placing hidden cameras without people’s knowledge or permission at homes in both Graves County and Weakley County, Tennessee. During the investigation, police found images from recording devices of numerous people in private settings inside private homes. Actual video cameras were also recovered.
WKCTC HONOR SOCIETY RECOGNIZED
West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter, Iota Eta, recently received recognition from the international PTK organization’s REACH program. The program is a rewards initiative for PTK chapters focused on Recognizing Excellence in Acceptance and Completion with Honors, known as REACH. The program recognizes the achievements of students and provides opportunities for their growth. In addition to WKCTC, 13 other colleges in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System were also honored.
GAS PRICES CONTINUE TO SURGE
Gas prices in West Central Kentucky are 12 cents higher this week at $2.70 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. Following last month’s winter storm in Texas, the national gas price average has jumped nearly 40 cents to $2.86. Prices will likely continue to increase this week, especially following the Energy Information Administration’s latest weekly reports showing a second week of major decline in gasoline stocks and a substantial increase in U.S. demand. Americans are paying, on average, 14% more to fill-up compared to February. On the week, the national average is nine cents more expensive with 20 states seeing double-digit jumps.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—State lawmakers are sending the controversial school funding bill to Governor Andy Beshear after passage Tuesday night. Opponents to House Bill 563 say it harms public education by limiting revenue and giving public funds to private schools. Those in favor argue that it provides more options for families looking to provide a good education for their kids. Still, despite the passage of the bill in both the House and Senate, Governor Beshear is expected to veto.
FRANKFORT—Kentucky lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday that would allow students K through 12 to “re-do” the past school year. The bill was first introduced in light of the pandemic that caused several issues for students that had to switch to remote learning for most of the school year. Additionally, the bill allows high school students a fifth year of eligibility to play sports so long as they do not turn 19 before August 1st of their senior year. The “re-do” bill is not a mandate, but an option for students and their families to consider.
LEXGINTON—The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is expressing concern over so many available vaccination appointments. As of Tuesday, the health department was showing as many as 150 available appointments for today. Officials say that many who have politicized the vaccine and the virus as a whole are holding out and not getting the shot. Some area residents have expressed concerns over the “fast-tracked” vaccine, saying it was approved too quickly and may not be safe.
LONDON—A former Middlesboro firefighter will spend the next 300 months in federal prison on a previous child pornography conviction. Thirty-six-year-old Robert Christopher England was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom on Tuesday. England used a Middlesboro Fire Department laptop to download child porn on at least three different occasions between April 2017 and June 2018, according to court documents.
LOUISVILLE—Pfizer is announcing a new pediatric study of the COVID-19 vaccine in children will begin in Kentucky this summer. Patients six months to eleven-years-old will be eligible for the clinical trial. Moderna said Tuesday that kids those ages have already received the first dose of their version of the vaccine in their latest trial. The Kentucky Pediatric and Adult Research facility in Bardstown will organize the Pfizer pediatric study this summer.
LOUISVILLE—Students in the state’s largest school district are returning to classrooms for the first time in more than a year today. Jefferson County Public Schools expects about seven-thousand students will return to school today as part of the district’s hybrid plan. JCPS expects 60 percent of its more than 96-thousand students will return for in-person learning by April 5th.
OWENSBORO—Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson is addressing racist comments recently posted during a virtual forum hosted by the H.L. Neblett Community Center. During yesterday’s Owensboro City Commission meeting Mayor Watson called those who made the comments “cowards.” It was the first time Watson addressed the issue publicly. The comments were made last month during a home-buying empowerment forum that was part of a series of Black History Month events held in partnership with Owensboro Black Expo and the Northwest Neighborhood Alliance.
ANDERSON COUNTY—No one is injured after a tanker truck crashed in Anderson County. The tanker spilled six-thousand gallons of milk when it overturned yesterday in Lawrenceburg. The Anderson News reports the driver told authorities the truck tipped over when its load shifted as the big rig rounded a corner.
TENNESSEE—There are over 13-hundred new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported one-thousand-342 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to nearly 794-thousand-140. A dozen additional COVID-19-related deaths were reported, bringing the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths statewide to eleven-thousand-650. There are nearly 680 COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide.
TENNESSEE—The Tennessee Department of Health says it’s confident the state will be able to offer all adults a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1st. That’s the date President Biden said last week that he’ll direct states to make vaccines available to all adults. Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said yesterday the state is expecting two increases in the number of vaccines it receives, allowing TDH to offer vaccines to all adults prior to the May 1st deadline.
TENNESSEE—Not everyone is lining up to get a COVID-19 shot. The Tennessee Department of Health says 80 percent of appointments in Middle Tennessee are full, not including Davidson County. However, Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said yesterday just 50 percent are full in East Tennessee. She also said less than 20 percent of appointment slots are filled in rural West Tennessee.
TENNESSEE—The 2021 and 2022 Tennessee high school football championship games will be played in Chattanooga. The Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association made the announcement yesterday. The games will be played at Finley Stadium, which is also home to the UT-Chattanooga football team. The games had been played at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville since 2009.
TENNESSEE—The lawn at World’s Fair Park in Knoxville will host a concert this spring for the first time since closing for renovations in 2019. Nashville-based band Moon Taxi will perform on the Randy Tyree Performance Lawn on Thursday, May 20th. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday. They’ll be sold in pods to allow for social distancing.
ILLINOIS—Illinois lawmakers are considering a proposal to expand the use of ballot boxes and curbside voting as well as make them permanent. Ballot boxes were used in last November’s election to help residents cast votes during the pandemic. Election officials could use federal funds to buy more drop-off boxes. The proposal would also require that election judges from both parties oversee each election site. The bill passed a House committee Monday and is headed to the floor for a vote.
